Forever Bold
by vintagetypewriter
Summary: He let out a scream so gut-wrenching, so broken, so hateful, that I knew I needed to get out. I was about to take the blunt of Khan's revenge on Starfleet. And I would die. And Khan would die. And perhaps everyone on the Enterprise would die. The situation only offered enough hope for me to hope for the survival of the crew. As for myself, I would have to run. Kirk/OC. One-shot.


**This one-shot is based on the story I started a long time ago entitled "Bold," which begins with the first movie. Not much of that story has been posted, but because almost the entire storyline of my character Ronnie is already mapped out in my head, I was able to write this "ending" to Into Darkness. Therefore, this story contains not only spoilers for the movie, but spoilers for my story Bold.**

"You spare our ship and you can have your crew." Spock's voice rang out through the bridge's speakers. Kirk was regaining consciousness on the floor while Dr. Markus sat clutching her leg, a terrified look on her face. Scotty was still lying unconscious at my feet. _Take the deal, Khan. _I pleaded in my head. I was desperate for this to work, as it was the only way that _any_ of us would live. Khan had already expressed his desire to kill us four, or at least Kirk, and I had a sinking feeling that he'd be sure to send the Enterprise down as well. But what I'd learned from being in situations like this before (although admittedly not this bad,) was that there is always still hope.

"And how do I know these torpedoes are the ones I made?" Khan questioned.

"Vulcans can't lie." Spock responded. Spock's eyes shifted to look where I was standing off to the side of Khan and I nodded, assuring him that if Khan would so much as move toward the phaser control pads, would show any sign of betrayal, I would do everything in my power to detain him. Spock ordered Sulu to lower the shields and Khan quickly transported the torpedoes onto his ship, then locking coordinates on the inhabitants of the room.

"I'll go ahead and send you back, as a ship can't go down without its _captain." _He spat maliciously, punching in the final order to lock transporter signals on us. I noticed the others, wounded on the floor, become encircled with orange transporter beams. I noticed the remnants of a beam trace around me, but my eyes were trained on Khan's hand as he reached to set phasers on the Enterprise.

"No!" I screamed in a feral, unfamiliar sound of desperation that tore at my throat. Without time to think the situation through, I darted across the distance separating me and Khan, tackling him to the ground with as much force as my smaller body could manage. I suppose I expected my body to transport to the Enterprise before it hit the ground, because when I rolled away from Khan and saw his ferocious, animalistic eyes train on me, my blood froze. Scotty, Kirk, and Carol were gone. They had made it off the ship. It occurred to me that nothing I did now would have any consequence, other than the death I already had coming. And with that thought, I summoned the courage to rise to my feet as Khan circled me.

"You're too late. I hit your already decrepit ship. Your crew is going to _die_, and if I am going to make you _watch_ before I kill you so slowly, so agonizingly, that you will wish you had fallen out of the sky, like your pathetic friends." He hissed, his eyes black. A shiver ran down my spine at the lack of humanity he showed. I swallowed, willing my voice not to shake.

"Then you'd better get started, because Starfleet officers don't die easy." I told him, to which he scoffed.

"We'll see."

I engaged in combat with Khan once again, hoping only to subdue him long enough to get to the command pad and transport myself back to the Enterprise. As much as I knew we needed to keep tabs on Khan, and as much as I wanted revenge, the Enterprise needed me. And even if there was nothing I could do for it, my heart was with the people on that ship and if I was going to die anywhere, it was going to be with them.

Khan and I parried for a couple of minutes and even I was surprised at the extra agility and strength my adrenaline was providing me. Khan must have been, too, as he once again remarked that I was "a cut above my species." But my blood began to pump in my ears as I became discouraged at the fact that none of my blows made him recoil for more than a second. Getting exhausted, I finally slipped up and allowed him to grab my arm, wrenching it behind my back. In one swift movement, my arm divorced its socket with a deafening _pop_. A scream ripped through my throat and the ship lurched to the right, knocking us both to the ground. I cradled my arm, involuntary tears cascading down my face. Surely the Enterprise hadn't gotten back its firing capabilities so quickly, and even if they had, the blast was much to big to be a phaser shot. The torpedoes Spock gave him had been rigged to explode. I felt an ironic twinge of pride in knowing that the Enterprise had had the final say in this battle. The thought registered in Khan's mind at the same time it did in mine, and he stood looking out the bridge window. He let out a scream so gut-wrenching, so broken, so hateful, that I knew I needed to get out. I was about to take the blunt of Khan's revenge on Starfleet. And I would die. And Khan would die. And perhaps everyone on the Enterprise would die. The situation only offered enough hope for me to hope for the survival of the crew. As for myself, I would have to run.

All of this occurred to me in a matter of moments and suddenly I was on my feet, stumbling out of the bridge and down the hallway. I didn't have to glance back to know Khan was pursuing me, and I didn't want to look back for fear of being terrified further. I didn't stop running until I came to the transporter room, swiftly closing and entering a lock code for the doors behind me. I was relieved to find that the command codes on this ship were Starfleet regulation, but I also knew that there was a good chance Khan knew how to override them. As much as I knew about Starfleet ships, Khan knew more about this particular vessel. That was, after all, why we had brought him aboard in the first place.

I began pressing buttons on the transporter screen, desperately trying to lock a beam on myself, but the computer immediately gave me an error message. The transporter capabilities had been destroyed in the blast. There was no getting back to the Enterprise. I jumped as Khan began banging on the doors behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath, waiting for him to override the door locks. After a few moments passed with no noise, I cautiously walked up to the door. Khan was no where in sight. I walked back to the computer, asking for his location. The screen showed me that he was on route to the bridge. "What is he doing?" I whispered to myself. "Surely he knows this ship can't be saved. Computer, keep me updated on his whereabouts." I commanded authoritatively.

I checked what functions _were_ still working and took a deep breath when I saw communications had not been lost. I began to record a message.

"Captain, we're being hailed by Khan." Sulu told Spock in confusion. Spock. Everyone on the bridge exchanged looks and Spock's face mirrored their confusion with a slightly lifted eyebrow.

"We're a little busy to be taking calls." Uhura called out sarcastically, referring to the loud sirens, flashing lights, and the aura of panic taking over the ship, not to mention the shifting of the floor underneath their feet.

"It's a message." Sulu clarified. Spock looked thoughtful for a moment, but even curiosity is killer even for a Vulcan.

"Play it." He commanded. When Ronnie's face came on the screen, everyone's breath stopped short. In the panic of their own possible deaths, they had momentarily forgotten that Ronnie was still with Khan. "Broadcast it to the whole ship." Spock commanded immediately, as they watched Ronnie glance nervously behind her at a pair of thick glass doors. Red alert lights were flashing over her as well, Khan's ship having taken a serious hit.

"Lieutenant Jamison to Enterprise." Her exhausted and weary voice began.

Kirk and Scotty froze as Ronnie's voice permeated the engineering wing. Kirk ran to a screen and Scotty followed, insisting that they didn't have time for this right now. "Oh my god." Kirk whispered, his face crumpling a bit "They didn't get her off the ship." He bit his knuckle and eyed the screen anxiously, noticing that her head was bleeding and her eyes looked tired.

"I'm stuck on Admiral Markus's ship, with Khan AKA John Harrison. The transporter capabilities are shot and I am making this record because I anticipate that I will not be able to write a report about it later." She said, her voice cracking a bit as she cited her reason for recording the message. "The ship is currently plummeting toward earth, and Khan is seeking me out to kill me. If Khan is ever taken to court, let this stand as testimony that he is the most inhumane, unfeeling creature that Starfleet could have possibly been in league with. He is not to be trusted, and he is not to be pitied. I am sorry that I could not keep him from firing on the Enterprise." She admitted, sniffling. Tears rolled down Kirk's face as he watched her chin quiver.

"I'm terrified." She admitted, her voice shaking. "But I know that someone always has to draw the short straw, and this time it was me, which means none of you are allowed to die." She told her crewmates half-jokingly.

"No!" Kirk shouted at the monitor. "Please, Ronnie. Please, no." He then whimpered, hands pressed to the sides of his head. He fell into the seat in front of the screen. Scotty watched from behind, silent and teary-eyed.

"Captain Kirk." She addressed, and small sob escaped Kirk's throat. "Jamie." She then corrected herself. "It has been an honor serving under you on the Enterprise and I have every faith that you will make it through, as you always do, and hear this message. Know that it's not your fault. I jumped out of the transporter beam too soon in an attempt to stop Khan and I couldn't be relocated to the Enterprise with you. On a more personal note, I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. You're the only one that has always been there, and I know you're here with me in spirit now, no matter what happens. And…I love you."

Kirk could hardly take any more, feeling like his heart was being slowly crushed in a vice. More sobs escaped, and the thought that he was crying in front of Scotty, or that Scotty was even there, didn't even register.

"As for the Enterprise, I have every hope that you will make it to earth safely. In the event that you don't, however, know that Lieutenant Veronica Jamison is going down alongside you, proud to serve with such a fine crew."

"Landing coordinates have been set for Starfleet Command." The computer's voice sounded in the background, and the eyes of everyone watching on the bridge widened as they discovered Khan's final, desperate plan for destruction. Uhura covered her mouth and tears sprung to her eyes. In the engineering wing, Kirk watched Ronnie's face become stony with resolve upon hearing the computer's message.

"Now if you'll excuse me, my duty isn't over just yet." She added. "Spock always reminds me that 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,' and I never fully understood until now. Keep my home in the air, friends. Lieutenant Veronica Jamison, out."

When I reached the bridge, Khan was nowhere in sight. It all made sense now why he chose to abandon his pursuit of me. He had bigger plans for revenge. I could already see Starfleet command growing bigger and bigger in the bridge window, and I leaned against the control panels, struggling to keep myself upright as we quickly dropped altitudes. It was too late to reset the coordinates and change the trajectory of the ship, so I chose to manually steer the ship, pushing the control handle forward as far as they would go. The ship lurched into an even more vertical angle as I pushed the nose of the ship down as hard as possible, trying to avoid landing on innocent people. I simultaneously applied the breaks, which failed after only a few moments, due to the engine trouble caused by the blast of the torpedoes on deck. I breathed a sigh of relief as I noticed that the Enterprise was no where in sight on the ground below. Surely it would have fallen by now if they hadn't been able to fix it. I braced myself, scrunching my eyes shut as the ship made impact with the lake in front of Starfleet command, screeching forward.

"Please please please please please." I whispered as the ship approached the edge of the lake and I saw through the window that I was mere meters from the Starfleet command building. The ship lurched to a stop just as it pulled up onto the land. I breathed a sigh of relief and fell into the chair behind me.

"John Harrison is exiting the ship." The computer told me, its voice garbled from the damage of the crash.

"Where?" I questioned it.

"From the hangar, in sector 329." It answered faithfully, and I hauled myself up and ran out of the bridge. The way we landed, I suspected that the hangar exit would be fairly high off the ground, so I opted to snag a shuttle, after the computer informed me that there were still two in operation.

The people on the streets below me were running around in pure, unadulterated panic, and I tried to focus on the shuttle ahead of me, rather than the chaos below. Spock, whom I had been relieved to see alive, had been pursuing Khan in the streets and now they were sparring on top of the shuttle I was currently catching up to. I flew below it, and scoffed as I felt two thuds on the roof. "That's right, Khan. Come right to my front door."

Spock cried out as Khan removed his hand from his shoulder and twisted it. In Spock's moment of weakness, Khan knocked him to the ground and began to punch him mercilessly. Spock tensed as he saw Uhura materialize behind Khan, worried that she was putting herself in danger. She began shooting at Khan with her phaser and he turned on her, seemingly unaffected with the shots. Uhura backed away nervously, looking to Spock who was lying on the roof of the shuttle, still trying to recover from his beating. She waited with baited breath as Khan approached her, unsure of what to do. He rose his hand to strike her and she deflected it, but he grabbed her slender wrist, holding it tight. His grip was so forceful that Uhura cried out in pain. Just as Khan raised his hand to deliver a crushing blow, his head lurched forward and he stumbled to the ground.

Ronnie hit him in the head again with whatever metal implement she happened to be holding, trying to knock him unconscious.

"Ronnie!" Uhura gasped in relief scrambling to her feet and around Khan. She pulled Ronnie away as Spock, who had regained his strength, began pummeling Khan in a Vulcan rage they had never fully witnessed before. Ronnie cried out as Uhura pulled on her arm, and Uhura let go, turning to Spock.

"Spock!" She cried. "Spock stop! You have to stop!" In his raging state, however, she could not get through to him. "Spock he is the only chance we have of saving Kirk!" She cried desperately, and Ronnie's heart plummeted into her stomach. Spock also responded to this, stopping and staring at her, before delivering one final uppercut that knocked Khan out completely.

"Save Kirk? Is he hurt?" Ronnie voiced timidly, afraid of the answer. The two turned to look at her with somber faces that made her think she perhaps would have liked to die on Admiral Markus's super ship.

"Ronnie." His voice rasped as she stepped further into the room. For the first time in all the years she'd known him, Ronnie noticed that his smile was a nervous one, and it made her heartbeat quicken. "I see I'm not the only one taking a while to mend" He teased softly, gesturing to the sling on her arm.

"It comes off next week," She acknowledged with a smile of her own, carefully seating herself on the bed next to him.

"You scared me." She whispered, frown lines appearing at the corners of her mouth. "You died, Jim."

"I learned it from you." He retorted, although the remark held none of his usual humor.

"Maybe so." She acknowledged softly. "But you were much braver than me."

"No I wasn't. I thought you'd left me alone."

"But you did what you did for the crew. To save them." She replied, tilting her head.

"Yeah, I did. But there was more to it. After I knew you were still on that ship, that you wouldn't make it…I was done. I wanted to follow you."

"You always _have _loved copying me." She teased.

"I'm serious, Ronnie. I didn't care about dying because I knew living wouldn't be much different from death without my best friend. I wanted to be with you. I have _always_ wanted to be with you, Ronnie. Surely you know that. I heard your message." He explained, and although his voice sounded somewhat rough and unforgiving, it was rough with pent-up emotion. "And I know I'm not good at expressing it that openly, which is why you always assume I'm just trying to use you or benefit from our friendship like I do with other women, but I'm telling you right now, that's not what this is. I know I'm not good at relationships, hell, I don't even know what that looks like, but all I'm asking is for you to give me a chance, because I really feel like I could do it with you."

"Jim." She whispered, stopping him in the middle of his rant. "I want to."

Kirk's eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. "You do?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I do. I want to try it."


End file.
